Decline In Quality

[vysis]

Recently got a legrande back from repair, I sent in a vintage 162 and received back a totally brand new one, which was nice... but I have realized that there seems to have been a significant decline in quality between the old montblancs and the newer ones.

 

Comparing this new montblanc with my more vintage ones (that I still have in my collection), it seems that the screw for the cap is no longer as smooth and seems to fit loosely. As an experiment, fit your cap onto your pen and shake it, can you feel the cap shake? Now compare it to a more vintage pen, it just feels more solid.

 

Also, the quality of the gold, the golden bands aren't as golden in the newer models (its a paler yellow).

 

Overall, its kind of disappointing seeing how with price at an all time high, quality seems to be at an all time low.

[Peter Pommes]

I got three new MB and the caps are not shaky. Maybe it helps to srew them tighter?

[vysis]

I got three new MB and the caps are not shaky. Maybe it helps to srew them tighter?

 

what models are they? And also, what about the colours of the gold band?

[ko6]

I noticed that regarding my new 146 and 149, their nibs were better, but the feeds were evidently worse. The constant skip and poor ink supply of those pens are common flaws. I miss ebonite feeds of pre-1990s, and even plastic ones of early 1990s.

[Blade Runner]

I haven't noticed any decline in quality. I've tried most of the modern brands, and MB's QC is among the best. But no brand has a perfect record. Defects/damage can also occur after they leave the factory. If there's a problem, MB's service in North America is excellent, and unlike many foreign brands, you don't have to ship regular production pens overseas for service. :meow:

[draeroheli]

I thought modern technology should improve the quality of MB pens similar to modern cars and TVs and aeroplanes!!!

[BrandonA]

I thought modern technology should improve the quality of MB pens similar to modern cars and TVs and aeroplanes!!!

 

I'm not disagreeing with your statement but you statement is not always true. Companies look to make things cheaper in order to increase their margins. A pen for example could be constructed of a lesser quality resin or the gold level could be reduced in the nib.

 

In regards to MB, I have pens ranging from construction in 1993 through to 2010. I have not seen any decrease in quality in any of the pens in my range.

 

As an earlier poster stated though, no company gets it right 100% of the time.

 

We also do not know where the original poster bought their pens? If they bought them second hand for example then their opinion of quality is worthless as the pen could have been damaged by a previous owner.

[CS388]

 

 

...edit...

 

If they bought them second hand for example then their opinion of quality is worthless as the pen could have been damaged by a previous owner.

 

That's a sweeping statement! Doesn't bode well for the vintage collectors.

 

I'd suggest there's a difference between quality and previous damage

 

But, I must add, the modern Montblanc pens I've seen have been of excellent quality.

[vysis]

We also do not know where the original poster bought their pens? If they bought them second hand for example then their opinion of quality is worthless as the pen could have been damaged by a previous owner.

 

If you would read the post carefully, I received the pen back from MontBlanc as an repair service and it is Montblanc's repair policy to replace any cracked component with brand new parts. In my case, they replaced the entire pen.

 

and the whole point of this post is comparing old pens vs new ones. Even if I did buy my old pen second hand, if its quality was still superior to the new pen, then that would speak for itself about my point.

[adamselene]

We also do not know where the original poster bought their pens? If they bought them second hand for example then their opinion of quality is worthless as the pen could have been damaged by a previous owner.

 

If you would read the post carefully, I received the pen back from MontBlanc as an repair service and it is Montblanc's repair policy to replace any cracked component with brand new parts. In my case, they replaced the entire pen.

 

and the whole point of this post is comparing old pens vs new ones. Even if I did buy my old pen second hand, if its quality was still superior to the new pen, then that would speak for itself about my point.

 

Cross has an interesting repair policy. If they cannot fix the old pen, and if you specify it has special significance to you, they will replace it AND return the original with it.

[pengem]

the quality has absolutely deteriorated in the last ten years or so. i have a legrand from 1995, for example, that seems vastly superior to many of my newer ones. this also applies to rolex watches, german cars and even lexus cars.

[josephfabry]

the quality has absolutely deteriorated in the last ten years or so. i have a legrand from 1995, for example, that seems vastly superior to many of my newer ones. this also applies to rolex watches, german cars and even lexus cars.

 

 

I disagree. I have a 1985 BMW 530i and a 2005 BMW 530i. Are we being romantic about vintage here?

 

Which car would I want on a track? Which would I want to have my 2 year old daughter with during a crash?

 

I only have one vintage Montblanc pen- a 142 Gray Striated, that needs to have its piston repaired to be useful, so I cannot comment on vintage pens.

 

I have some modern pens with problems, but I also have some modern pens that have created a multi-thousand dollar addiction. They at THAT good, and then some.

 

Maybe I'm just a victim of the allure of the sparkle of newer and brighter, but I just don't see older as automatically "vastly superior."

 

Sorry-

 

Love,

 

Joe

[gctoto11]

I disagree that MB pens' quality decreased. For e.g. I have a MB 146 from the 90's and a MB 149 from this year. Of course the 146 is still working great, but if you notice they actually cut their threads much different now than before. The older cap threads tend to loosen more easily actually then the new ones. This is because I know a fountain pen shop owner in hk, where we discuss FPs, and I showed my old MB 146, which cannot fit the newer screw caps but only the old one. The newer ones, as we have discovered are much more secure with deeper thread cuts.

[josephfabry]

the quality has absolutely deteriorated in the last ten years or so. i have a legrand from 1995, for example, that seems vastly superior to many of my newer ones. this also applies to rolex watches, german cars and even lexus cars.

 

 

I disagree. I have a 1985 BMW 530i and a 2005 BMW 530i. Are we being romantic about vintage here?

 

Which car would I want on a track? Which would I want to have my 2 year old daughter with during a crash?

 

I only have one vintage Montblanc pen- a 142 Gray Striated, that needs to have its piston repaired to be useful, so I cannot comment on vintage pens.

 

I have some modern pens with problems, but I also have some modern pens that have created a multi-thousand dollar addiction. They at THAT good, and then some.

 

Maybe I'm just a victim of the allure of the sparkle of newer and brighter, but I just don't see older as automatically "vastly superior."

 

Sorry-

 

Love,

 

Joe

 

I had one more point to make-

 

One thing about Vintage pens we have to remember:

 

The ones that have made it today have been selected out by experienced users, and time. Only the good ones remain- Like Darwin's Natural Selection, if you will.

 

The garbage pens end up in the garbage. The best ones, the ones that write like a cloud, those are the ones we covet, and pass on.

 

The garbage 2010 Lennon pens with problems will disappear. In 2130, humans will look for these Monblanc Lennon pens, and say, that's how pens should be made- and there may only be 150 left in the world. Those 150 will be the best of the best, not because they were manufactured any differently than the garbage ones, but because they SURVIVED.

 

I still don't think Vintage automatically means superior, but this may be a good explanation for the phenomenon.

 

Love,

 

Joe

Edited December 14, 2010 by josephfabry

[zenshrink]

I don't agree, either. All of my new MBs are great. The nib characteristics may be different from vintage ones, but the finish and everything else is quite excellent.

[bbbiswas]

I disagree that MB pens' quality decreased. For e.g. I have a MB 146 from the 90's and a MB 149 from this year. Of course the 146 is still working great, but if you notice they actually cut their threads much different now than before. The older cap threads tend to loosen more easily actually then the new ones. This is because I know a fountain pen shop owner in hk, where we discuss FPs, and I showed my old MB 146, which cannot fit the newer screw caps but only the old one. The newer ones, as we have discovered are much more secure with deeper thread cuts.

 

Mont Blanc is definitely forsaking quality for cost of production.

I have one 144 of 1997 and three 145 of 2009 and 2010-- all with M nib.

I find the amount of IRIDIUM at the nib tip is more in 144 and less in 145.

The M nib of 145 writes like FM nib. Mont Blanc is stealing iridium from the nibs.

 

The gold trim plating thickness is reduced. New pen will have brassing sooner than the old ones.

I had skipping problem with one 145. Why should MB pen skip-- they are so pricey. Is it that quality is statistical and you get a bad pen because MB is not BAD but your LUCK is bad.

 

I think the boutiques should test each pen and offer the good ones for sale and send back the bad ones back to MB.

The customers should not insist on "NEVER INKED" pieces and allow the shop to fill and test.

[SnowLeopard]

I have great MB pens from six different decades ...of the same model / size...well almost seven... and a few LE's or five.... thrown in for good measure.That's the basis of my longitudinal study of MB pens. They all write differently..still wonderfully... in their own "write". My '74 149 is my prime case-mate. A really close friend, of stainless character & peerless beauty...who has a brand new 149, my early X-mas gift to her...states.... that her snow cap is slowly melting. Must be a global ...whatever...LOL. We're going to monitor it's progress in any event.

Edited December 14, 2010 by SnowLeopard

[Gobblecup]

By January I should have a Modern 149 and a Celluloid 142... I suspect the main difference will be in the nib, as far as quality goes. And I guess that is not completely true, because even though most modern pens might have nail nibs, it doesn't really make them lower quality. But I will have fun comparing the two!

 

The only MB I ave used so far is my grandfather's 146, from the late 80s, and it was excellent in build quality. I dare say my Grandchildren could use it some day! But of course the nib was "springy" at best...

[niksch]

I have 9 or 10 modern 149s ranging in manufacture from 1960 to today. I don't necessarily notice a quality difference, but I certainly notice a difference in materials used during different timeframes. We've discussed and debated the differences in materials, and about the only thing I take from those discussions is that everyone has a preference for a timeframe for many different reasons.

 

 

[Bart1979]

Well I´m a MB newbie since I only just own a Starwalker but I can only say that I find the quality and finish extremely good.

Everyting is solid, fits well and looks and feels very durable. I just have to get a Meisterstuck in the coming time, since I just HAVE to have one ;-).

 

Regards,

Bart